Why Labour lost (or what happens when your actions are inconsistent with the expectations of your audiences)

Though the 2010 Australian election has been uncertain, its result, in many ways, has not been. The labour party, it’s safe to say, has lost. 18 seats poorer, and with three quarter of counting done, it is scheduled to end up with 72 seats behind the Liberal party’s 73 giving them the moral right they need to form the next Government.

A few weeks ago, I predicted such an election result while discussing the matter with my wife. The basis of my prediction – the way Gillard seized power and the way the party deposed previous Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

In Australian culture there are some things you just don’t do – and that’s ‘turn on your mates.’ Gillard and her colleagues (deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan and power brokers like John Faulkner) did just that. In the process they behaved in a way that went against the grain of their audience and that was inconsistent with their expectations. The price they paid in the end was a heavy one.

The learning for brands
Customers have expectations of you. Behave in a manner that is consistent with these expectations and success is likely to be yours. Fail to understand these expectations, or even worse, disregard them and customers will depose you the way they did the Labour party in Australia.